


Two Truths and a Lie

by Linkito



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Multi, Two Truths and A Lie, and some akeshu if you squint, just some teens playing games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25688557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linkito/pseuds/Linkito
Summary: “You guys are so childish!” Morgana said in a huff. He wasn’t a fan of the welcome party for Akechi to begin with, but at least he kept his complaints to himself. Though, after Ryuji suggested to play Two Truths and a Lie... the cat got a lot more vocal.In which the Phantom Thieves of Hearts attempt to use party games as a way of gathering information on Akechi Goro.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 12
Kudos: 261





	Two Truths and a Lie

**Author's Note:**

> If you follow my works because of Folie a Deux - don't worry! I am working on a rewrite of the chapters I have posted thus far to incorporate some alterations to the later story, as well as to include elements from P5R. Consider this fic a writing exercise to get me back into the groove of things!
> 
> Just a very silly and self-indulgent thing. Enjoy!

“You guys are so childish!” Morgana said in a huff. He wasn’t a fan of the welcome party for Akechi to begin with, but at least he kept his complaints to himself. Though, after Ryuji suggested to play Two Truths and a Lie... the cat got a lot more vocal. 

“Oh!” Haru exclaimed. “I’ve heard of that game! But don't people typically play that as an ice breaker?” 

“I mean, yeah, but it can also be a party game,” Ann replied. “You get to learn all kinds of shocking stuff about your friends and have a few laughs!”

“Shocking...?” Makoto asked with uncertainty.

“Yeah!” Ryuji chimed. “Don't tell me you’re too modest to share your secrets, Miss President...!”

“It’s not that,” Makoto huffed, but her face still flushed with embarrassment. “It’s more like... I doubt I’ll have anything all that surprising about myself to bring to light.”

Ann opened her mouth to protest, but it was Akechi who got a word in first. “Well sharing is only part of the game, correct? Most of the time you will be guessing which of your friends’ statements are lies.” The detective smiled charismatically, surprising everyone with his enthusiasm. “To me, that sounds like a fun deductive exercise.”

There was a moment of silence before Ryuji grumbled, “Dude... you just made a game sound like homework. And you acted like that was a _good_ thing...”

“We should play!” Makoto said abruptly. The other thieves offered confused looks in regards to her sudden change of heart, leading Makoto to not-so-subtly glance over at Akechi with a serious expression. If Akechi noticed, he pretended not to. 

The rest of the thieves seemed to get the hint that it was a prime opportunity to learn more about Goro Akechi, even if the likelihood of anything of actual importance coming out during such a silly party game was incredibly poor. Each of them provided a soft nod and agreed to participate.

Well, except...

“I’m still unclear about the appeal of this activity,” Yusuke said, apparently having completely missed the silent objective the rest of the group had just taken on.

“Try going first then,” Akira said. He was sitting on the floor and leaning back against his hands, taking in the scene with amusement. The idea of using something as childish as Two Truths and a Lie as reconnaissance was very fitting for the Phantom Thieves; Akira was loving it.

“What?” Yusuke replied. “I fail to see how that would help.”

Akira just shrugged and tilted his head to urge Yusuke to keep talking. 

“Just tell us three things about yourself and one of them is supposed to be a lie. Then we’ll all guess and see who knows you best,” Ann explained with an encouraging smile.

Yusuke looked to Morgana as if the cat was going to do something to help him out of this situation, but Morgana just let out an unconvincing “mrrrow” as if to say “you’re on your own.” So Yusuke closed his eyes and thought carefully about what to say. A bit too long, honestly, because the others began to shift uncomfortably and consider the possibility that he was abstaining from participation (or falling asleep). But at long last, Yusuke stammered out his three:

“I... have been painting since I was 4 years old. I donate blood regularly. My favorite artist is Michelangelo.”

For a moment, the others seemed to ponder these, but Ryuji spoke up almost immediately. “Dude, these are supposed to be _interesting_.” He looked around, hoping for someone to back him up, but everyone just smiled awkwardly and continued whispering amongst themselves in order to humor the artist. “Ughhhh, whatever. It’s #2. Can we move on to the juicy stuff?”

“Ha! Wrong!!” Futaba shouted. She had been absorbed in her phone up until now, but piped in as soon as she saw the opportunity to correct someone. “Inari talks about donating blood all the time like it’s some kind of hobby! He probably just does it because he’s broke and needs the cash.”

“That’s donating plasma,” Makoto corrected.

“Whatever!” 

“It’s number three,” Akira said with certainty. 

“Really??” Ann gasped. “I thought Michelangelo was a big deal.”

“Yes, however, I find his depictions of the female form to be particularly tasteless,” Yusuke said with a sudden graveness. “I could never draw inspiration from an artist who so clearly lacked inspiration himself.”

Ryuji, in an attempt to recover from his bold mistake, snidely commented, “Well maybe he’d never seen a girl up close before. Seems pretty relatable for you, Yusuke.”

“Actually, some art historians suggest that Michelangelo exclusively used male models for his work, and therefore did not have a thorough understanding of female anatomy.” Akechi said, effectively ruining Ryuji’s fun. “In addition, many theorize that he was a closeted homosexual, which would explain why many of his depictions of an ideal woman were particularly masculine.”

“I still hold firm to the belief that even without personal attraction, as an artist, it is our duty to bring out the beauty in everything,” Yusuke replied with conviction. “And a terrible number of Michelangelo’s most famous works were created for commissions rather than--”

“Oh my god, shut up you nerds,” Futaba groaned as she threw herself onto the ground and began fidgeting with one of her many mindless phone games. “Akira wins. No one’s surprised. Next!”

“I found their musings rather enjoyable, actually!” Haru said, clapping her hands together. “I bet you two would have a lot to talk about.”

Akechi smiled bashfully and said something about how his knowledge of art history was actually rather limited (which no one believed), before Ann shouted, “Okay! I’ve got my three! Me next!”

“Go ahead,” Makoto said with a teasing eye roll. “Since you’ve decided it’s your turn.”

“Yep!” Ann said with a cheeky grin. “Okay here goes-- I’m a size 4, I’ve kissed a girl, and I have a birthmark on my right hip!” 

“Geez, Ann! I know I said Yusuke was boring, but that’s ... too unboring!” Ryuji sputtered. Ann just grinned wider, seeming incredibly pleased with herself. 

Futaba, who definitely snapped back to attention after _that_ kind of turn, immediately began the deliberation amongst the thieves. “...Well, we know the second one is true.”

“What??” Ann exclaimed. “You don't know that!” 

“Pretty obvious,” Futaba snickered. Apparently Ann thought she was going to fool someone with that. Maybe Ryuji or Yusuke, but nobody else was buying it.

“Size 4 what?” Makoto asked.

Ann was pouting now. “Oh. Dress.” 

Yusuke put out his fingers to make a frame, trying to determine Ann’s body size before remembering he had absolutely no notion of what a “4” was in relation to anything else.

“It’s number three, isn’t it?” Akechi asked, but he sure sounded like he knew the answer.

“You can tell her dress size??” Ryuji asked.

“No,” Akechi replied. “But she was much more specific about the last statement. It’s unlikely someone would give such a vague lie in this context. I believe Takamaki wanted us to weigh the odds between the last two, which is why she offered such an off-handed truth to start us off.”

Everyone looked at Ann, who was shrinking further into Akira’s bed. “...Shut up!” she whined as she grabbed a pillow and exaggeratedly shoved her face into it. “I would have told you that you were right without the psychoanalysis, you know!” 

“Sorry,” Akechi said with a nervous chuckle, even though Ann truthfully had no bite to her words. “I suppose I can get carried away with these kinds of games.”

“It’s impressive,” Akira said. “You’ve only been acquainted with us for a short while, after all.”

Akechi accepted the compliment with a much more earnest smile than earlier. “Ah, well, credit is partially due to you all for helping me eliminate the second one from consideration.” That earned a groan from Ann, although it was muffled by the pillow she was still using to hide herself. “I’m not so sure I’ll be that fortunate each round.”

“Perhaps I should go next,” Haru said. “Aside from Akechi-kun, I’m the newest in the group, so it will be interesting to see who can claim to know me best!”

All eyes were on Haru as she thought of her three statements. Nobody wanted to be outplayed by Akechi on this one.

“Well, let’s see...” Haru started, tapping her finger to her chin. “Number one! I’m allergic to lavender. Number two - I am left handed. And number three - I like cats more than dogs.”

Within moments, a lively debate had ignited between Ryuji and Morgana about the third claim.

“No one likes cats more than dogs,” Ryuji said, completely missing the disapproving look from Akira. “Dogs are just better.”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Morgana replied. “Haru is a _classy lady_!”

“The hell does that have to do with it?”

“Cats have a certain elegance only sophisticated humans can understand,” Morgana said with a huff. He then glanced around and quickly added, “I am one of such humans, of course. That’s why I have this form.”

“Sounds like you almost forgot you’re not supposed to be a cat for a second...” Ryuji muttered.

Makoto cleared her throat loudly. “We haven’t even discussed the first two yet.” She then looked to Haru, who was strategically hiding her hands. “None of us are in her class, so we don't know which hand she writes with... Where does the dominant hand grip an axe?”

“I’ll look it up!” Ann said, but Futaba whacked her hand.

“Do any of you seriously know how she holds her axe from memory?” she said with a sly smile. Everyone looked to Yusuke, who solemnly shook his head. “Yeah, didn’t think so.”

Their eyes then all found their way to Akechi, who had been silent this entire time.

“...Are you asking me?” he asked innocently. 

“Seems like your guess is as good as ours,” Makoto replied.

“Well,” Akechi said. “I honestly do not know Okumura-san all too well, so they all seem just as likely to me.” Morgana started to protest, but the detective continued. “But if I had to choose, it would be the last one, simply because that is the most likely to be the lie in any situation.” 

“Is it now?” Yusuke asked incredulously. 

“Well, there are two truths to think of, yet only one lie. Most people would begin by thinking of two interesting facts about themselves and then a lie that seems believable enough by comparison, often leaving them in that order.” Akechi nodded toward Yusuke and Ann. “Both lies so far have been the third, so without any further information to work off of, that would be my safest guess.”

“Like answering “C” when you don't know the answer to a multiple choice question,” Akira added.

“Precisely.”

Morgana raced to Haru’s side and looked up at her with urgency. “Tell me it’s not true, Haru!”

“...I’m sorry, Mona-chan,” she said, leaving Morgana to gasp and rush back over to Akira’s side. “I’ve always been partial to large breeds of dogs. We’ve just never been allowed to have any at my father’s estate...”

“I feel so betrayed!” Morgana cried. He even accepted Akira’s apologetic pats for the sake of the drama. 

“As a cat?” Ryuji asked with a grin.

“Wh- No!” But Akira squashed Morgana’s face down to end that argument before it could begin.

“Well done,” Akira said, shamelessly continuing to butter the detective up. If asked, Akira would surely claim that he was lowering Akechi’s defenses so that he might just slip up again, but he would be lying. He just liked making Akechi flustered.

“Ah, hardly,” Akechi replied, smiling bashfully. “All I did was recognize a pattern.”

“Are you calling us predictable?” Morgana asked accusingly as he slipped away from Akira’s grasp. When Akechi didn’t immediately deny it, Morgana hissed. “Well then, allow me to do the honor of breaking your ‘lucky’ streak.”

“Ooooh, Mona’s into it now!” Futaba cheered.

Morgana lifted his head as high as he could as he thought, trying to look as dignified as possible while still maintaining whatever version of a poker face his cat features could manage. An ear flickered upon hearing Akira laugh, causing the not-cat to narrow his eyes at him. Akira just waved him off apologetically and whispered back to Akechi, who was supposedly the cause of the laughter. Morgana decided he would have to give the boy an earful later about associating with the enemy. “A- _hem_.”

“We are all listening,” Yusuke said.

“Good,” Morgana huffed. “Number one. My favorite kind of sushi is the unagi roll from Ginza. Number two. My favorite napping spot is in the ramen bowl Ryuji gave us. And number three! I hate milk. I dare you to solve _that_ one, detective.”

Akechi glanced over to Akira, posing a silent question that was answered with another snicker from the black-haired boy. “Ah, was I right then?” Akechi asked, smiling much less innocently than usual. 

“Huh?” Morgana asked, baffled.

“The first one,” Akechi said decisively. 

“HUH?!” Morgana yelped, feeling somewhat exposed at being known so easily.

“Wow, I’m surprised anyone other than Akira could know the answer to that one...” Haru said, impressed. 

“Oh, he definitely had no idea.” Akira replied. “But he told me before Morgana said anything that he bet it would be the first statement, just to be as different as possible from the previous sets.”

“Oooooh hoo hoo,” Futaba cheered. “That’s gotta be embarrassing!”

“L-lucky guess!” Morgana said with a sneer. He retreated over to Haru’s much-more-welcoming lap after being so utterly betrayed by Akira. “I’d hardly even say that counts.”

“Ehhh, I dunno. Seems like something a sore loser would say,” Ryuji said without realizing he was therefore taking Akechi’s side.

“Ugh, someone back me up here!” Morgana looked to Yusuke.

Yusuke blinked. “Hmm... you truly don't like milk?”

“Focus!!!”

“I would argue that knowing the way in which someone would lie is just as telling as the lies themselves. Perhaps I, personally, am unaware of your sleeping and eating habits, but I was still able to deduce which statement was falsified. Both methods are key in a proper interrogation.” Akechi certainly knew how pretentious he was sounding, but he was enjoying himself too much to maintain his humble facade. 

There was an awkward silence before Makoto forced out a gentle laugh. “Aha... it’s no wonder my sister respects you so much.”

“My turn,” Ryuji blurted out, not about to stand for another moment of Akechi-praising.

“Oh boy...” Ann groaned. 

“Oh shut up! I got this, okay?” Ryuji huffed, taking another few seconds to organize his thoughts. He mumbled something to himself while counting to three on his fingers, then backwards as if he were shuffling them. 

Akechi raised an eyebrow. “Having trouble?” he asked coyly, purposely trying to throw off Ryuji’s focus. 

“Shut it,” Ryuji said. He then cleared his throat exaggeratedly. “Numberrrrr one,” he continued with a roll of the tongue for extra flare. “I took ballet for two years. Number two, I’ve tried every dish at Ogikubo Ramen. Aaaand, number three, I’ve never tasted honey. How do you like _that_?”

There was a moment of silence from the Phantom Thieves, mostly out of admiration that Ryuji managed not to say something obvious or trip over his words. It was Yusuke that spoke first.

“I find it hard to believe you of all people have practiced ballet...”

Ryuji made a motion of zipping his lips, refusing to get baited into giving away information.

Haru hummed. “It’s not uncommon for athletes to have some kind of dancing background, though...”

“It’s true. Balance is key,” Makoto added. “Besides, I doubt Ryuji would admit to something like that unless it were true. He could be baiting us into thinking it’s the lie.”

“Well the ramen thing seems legit,” Futaba said. “So it’s gotta be the honey! But who the heck hasn’t tasted honey?”

“I dunno...” Ann said. “Ryuji has always had weird eating habits...”

“My vote is still on ballet,” Morgana snickered. “He’s not nearly graceful enough.”

“No comment,” Ryuji said. But his tone conveyed plenty. “Well, Mr. Detective? What’s your vote?”

Akechi tapped his chin for a moment. “Well, I’ve at least narrowed it down.”

“ _Oh?_ ” Ryuji asked with false intrigue. “Do tell, oh please.”

Akechi blinked, and then flashed a bright, forced smile. “I’ve actually written about Ogikubo Ramen for my blog, so I am rather familiar with their menu, particularly their spicy ramen dish. Personally, I’ve never been one for spicy foods, however...” Akechi elbowed Akira in the chest for laughing. “Ahem. However, the chef insisted I try it, as it is their signature dish, and I was surprised to find the spice, while still present, wasn’t unbearable. You see, they actually use _honey_ in their broth to neutralize the heat without removing any of the flavor.”

“So, the last two statements directly contradict each other,” Makoto concluded.

“Exactly,” Akechi said, pleased with himself.

“You sure have a lot of useless knowledge stuck in that head of yours...” Futaba mumbled.

“Is it useless, though?” Akechi asked innocently. “It seems to be of use right now.”

Ryuji groaned. “Dude, out with it. What’s your answer?”

“My apologies,” Akechi continued. “Considering it has to be one of the last two... The second one would be a bold lie to tell if you had never even tried the place’s signature dish. So I will go with number three.”

“NOPE!” Ryuji shouted, earning a disgruntled demand to quiet down from Sojiro downstairs. “I did ballet for _four_ years! Sha-bam!”

“...You idiot,” Morgana grumbled.

“Huh?”

“Were you even listening, Ryuji?” Makoto asked, shaking her head.

“Of course I was!” Ryuji sputtered. “I mean... Okay I _may_ have zoned out a little when Akechi was talking but _oh my god_ how could anyone listen to all of that?”

“Valid,” Futaba said.

“If number 2 is true, then number 3 has to be a lie,” Makoto summarized with a sigh. “You told two lies.”

“What?!” Ryuji exclaimed, quickly fumbling with his phone to confirm.

“It’s true!” Futaba cheered. “I’ve got the nerd’s food blog pulled up right here.” She flipped her laptop around to show a very cheesy selfie of Akechi next to a bowl of ramen. Akechi turned his head to hide his reddening face. He regretted bringing up the blog.

“For those of you here for sweets, I apologize for this week’s intermission- as today we are _ALL_ about the spice!” Futaba read aloud, including exaggerated hand gestures for added theatrics. “I am positively _ENTRANCED_ by the sweet and spicy allure of Ogikubo Ra-”

Akechi scrambled to shut the laptop, earning an offended gasp from Futaba. “That’s quite enough of that, don't you think?” he said with an incredibly awkward, toothy smile. 

“Link me to that,” Akira said, eyeing Akechi with a grin.

“Okay, all of that shit aside, he still didn’t get it right!” Ryuji said. Akechi was honestly grateful for the change of subject.

“But you broke the rules, Ryuji,” Ann said with a roll of her eyes.

“So what?” Ryuji countered. “Wasn’t it you who compared this to an interrogation? Criminals don't gotta play by your rules.”

“He has a point...” Yusuke added pensively. “I’d say it’s rather appropriate for the Phantom Thieves.”

“Oh don't give him too much credit,” Morgana said. “It’s not like he did it on purpose.”

“Ah, but I would argue that I still revealed you had perjured yourself. That could very well render any defense you had useless,” Akechi said.

Futaba piped in. “He wasn’t under oath!”

“Perjury has to be willful untruth,” Akira added.

“Hm, it seems you two know quite a bit about court procedure,” Akechi replied. He pondered a moment before adding, “But would Sakamoto not be considered an unreliable witness at best?”

“Dude, this ain’t a real case...” Ryuji grumbled.

“Well, in the context of the game alone, your turn is forfeit for having broken the rules,” Akechi replied. “You were the one to suggest your double lie was viable in terms of a criminal interrogation, or are you rescinding that claim?”

“Yes! .. Wait no!” Ryuji smacked his head a few times, as if trying to speed up the gears inside to keep up. “Ughh, you’re taking this way too seriously.”

“Perhaps we call this round a draw?” Haru suggested. She sincerely hoped that would be an acceptable compromise, otherwise they would all be subject to this discussion for much longer than should ever be deemed necessary.

“Tie breaker,” Akira posed immediately to shut down any rebuttal. “Your turn, Akechi.”

Akechi narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but quickly shifted his expression to be more jovial. “I suppose I can settle for that. Allow me a moment, would you?”

“Of course,” Akira said, his face as unreadable as always. The rest of the Phantom Thieves shifted about in anticipation. The likelihood of anything of value being said was low, but the idea of catching Akechi Goro in a lie was too enticing for any of them to resist. Better understanding how the detective thought was crucial to their own plans, after all. 

“Alright,” Akechi began, causing everyone to straighten up and pay close attention. “I fear I may be at an advantage here considering how new I am to your group, so I tried to keep things fair.”

“So he’s keeping things vanilla...” Morgana whispered so only Haru and Makoto, who were directly next to him, could hear.

“Number one,” Akechi said. “I had never had coffee before until just last year. Number two. I have witnessed a person die. Number three. I haven’t gotten more than 4 hours of sleep at night in 3 months.” The detective spoke slowly and without any inflection. He had no intention of giving the thieves anything to work with in terms of his cadence, and certainly nothing from his expression, as he maintained a pleasant, even smile the entire time.

Not even a break in his mask when he spoke the second statement, which hung heavy over the room. 

“N-nevermind,” Morgana said softly with a swish and tuck of his tail.

There was a bout of silence, but Ryuji spoke up before it went on for too long. “Sheesh...” he said. “I admitted to ballet and but here you are talking about murder.”

“I don't believe I specified murder, Sakamoto,” Akechi replied slyly. “There are a number of ways a person can die... Why is it that you would jump to that conclusion?”

“U-uhh...” 

“Well, you do work with the police after all,” Makoto interjected, much to Ryuji’s relief. Ann immediately elbowed the blond in the gut when Akechi’s attention turned to Makoto. “I’m sure you’ve been to a number of crime scenes, so it’s...not that far-fetched.”

“Good save,” Morgana muttered after ducking behind Haru. Their gambit had almost backfired there.

“Hm,” Akechi said. “Well, I suppose I shouldn’t say much else lest I give something away.” He chuckled charismatically, but its effect was eerie. 

“I find it hard to believe anyone could function on such little sleep,” Yusuke said, either unaware of the tension or choosing to move past it. “I simply cannot paint when my mind is not at ease. I would imagine detective work is in many ways the same.”

“Not to mention schoolwork,” Makoto added.

“And trips to Mementos,” Morgana said. “A good night’s sleep is essential for a Phantom Thief!”

“Well, it would certainly explain the caffeine addiction...” Futaba sniggered.

“That’s true,” Haru said. “I think I’ve seen Akechi-kun drink from those coffee canisters Akira packs in almost every safe room.”

Akira laughed when Akechi’s face reddened, as if he himself wasn’t equally as guilty of metaverse coffee-guzzling. “His addiction is crippling.”

Akechi cleared his throat loudly so as not to let his flusteredness bleed into his voice. “That brew is particularly invigorating. I find that it perhaps even aids in our performance in battle.”

“Addicted,” Akira said with a grin.

At that, Haru spoke up again. “Oh, I didn’t mean any offense. You’re certainly correct about Akira’s brewing skills. But I wonder if someone with such a refined palette could truly only have started drinking coffee a year ago...” She looked to Akira, who merely shrugged. He had been drinking the stuff for embarrassingly long, but it’s not like he knew much of anything about the complex flavors until Sojiro took him in. Fourteen year old Akira knew only the taste of partially undissolved instant garbage.

“Basically everything from over a year ago on the blog is cake,” Futaba said, earning another groan in protest from Akechi. 

“I doubt he would make the same kind of stupid mistake as Ryuji and make his lie easily detectable...” Ann said. She then dodged the barrage of chips thrown at her while Ryuji spouted defensive nonsense.

“So, we have little to nothing to work from,” Yusuke concluded. “Should we perhaps go with the third statement then, given its predominance?”

“Uh, _Akechi_ was the one who pointed the pattern out, Inari. You really think he’d do that?” Futaba replied. But she gasped and responded to herself before anyone else could. “Or maybe it’s reverse psychology! He wants us to _think_ he wouldn’t make it the third one, so it _is_ the third one! Wait... but he could totally know we’d think that, so maybe it isn’t the third one after all...”

“Anyway...” Makoto said, leaving Futaba on loop. “Yusuke is right. We’ve got nothing. So... Akira, don't you know Akechi best?”

“Who?” Akira said.

“Ugh, can’t you be serious?” Makoto replied, rolling her eyes.

“Right, extremely high stakes game. Life and death here,” Akira said cheekily. “Oh. And Ryuji’s honor is on the line. Can’t forget that.”

“Thanks man,” Ryuji said earnestly.

“Of course,” Akira replied. “And with that in mind...” He paused, looking Akechi over carefully in spite of his carefree demeanor toward the activity only a moment ago. True, it was only a game, but Akechi had been treating this with severity from the very beginning. It seemed incredibly important to him to be able to prove not only his intellect, but his effortless discernment of everyone’s mannerisms and quirks that led to each deduction. This was all a show to the detective. All building upon the guise of the friendly detective he wanted them all to believe in. In which case...

“Kurusu?” Akechi asked, somewhat put off by the boy’s intense gaze.

“Number two,” Akira said finally.

The other thieves seemed shocked by the answer, but Akechi seemed particularly pleased. “Impressive,” he said. “Although, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“He got it right?” Ann asked.

“Of course,” Akechi responded easily. “My job isn’t nearly as dangerous as you all seem to believe. I honestly thought the answer was obvious.”

“Oh, _of course_...” Ryuji mocked. None of the others seemed particularly convinced either.

“Ryuji, your honor,” Akira reminded him.

“Oh shit, you’re right!” Ryuji said, immediately perking up. “In your face, Akechi!”

All semblance of the competitive spirit Akechi held earlier seemed to have dissipated. “Ah, yes. Congratulations, Sakamoto.”

“What, no quip about how he didn’t even help?” Ann joked.

Ryuji turned, but Akechi spoke first. “Well, those were the terms I agreed to after all. Besides, I think I got plenty of help from you all each turn as well. That is part of the game, too, isn’t it? Choosing whose perspective offers the most insight?”

Akira narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but said nothing.

“Well, it’s getting late, so I think it’s about time we disperse,” Morgana said. “Not all of us run on four hours of sleep.”

“I assure you, I get plenty of rest,” Akechi laughed. “My sleeping schedule is just somewhat... unconventional. But I agree, it is getting rather late.”

“But I didn’t get to gooooo!” Futaba whined as everyone headed for the stairs of the attic. “Mine were going to be incredible! A total enigma!”

“I don't doubt that,” Yusuke said flatly.

“We can continue another day!” Haru insisted.

“Ahaha... that’s okay,” Makoto replied nervously. “You can just... message us yours, Futaba!”

“Hehehe, you’re just hoping we all forgot _you_ didn’t go either,” Futaba said. “No such luck, Miss President.”

The chatter continued as Morgana ushered them out, continuing to lecture them about how a bunch of high schoolers being out late is suspicious. Akechi lagged behind as he went to retrieve his case from where it had been kicked underneath Akira’s bed (undoubtedly Ryuji’s fault). He then bid Akira farewell and headed for the stairs himself.

“Goro,” Akira said suddenly, stopping the other boy in his tracks.

“...Yes?” Akechi asked curiously, titling his head just enough to see Akira’s face.

“Number one,” he started. “...You are horribly competitive.”

Akechi laughed and turned around entirely, eyeing Akira inquisitively despite the amusement present on his face. He gestured for him to continue.

“Number two,” Akira continued, still maintaining an even expression. “You actually had fun tonight.”

The detective smiled, and it was almost a genuine one. “Perhaps... and?”

“And number three?” Akira said with a flicker of something darker flashing over his expression. “You’re full of shit.”

Akechi laughed again - a much more throaty one, like he was not expecting to. The statement had clearly caught him off guard, but he didn’t seem particularly offended by the claim. Akira was never one to buy into his bullshit anyway. “Oh, but Akira, you’re supposed to tell a _lie_.”

“So were you.”

Akechi’s lips twitched, but his smile never faltered, instead becoming increasingly plastic and sharp. “Are you accusing me of something?” he asked. His tone was calm and polite, like he was simply asking for the time and not whether or not Akira thought he had bore witness to someone’s untimely demise and lied about it.

“You tell me,” Akira replied. “That’s the game, isn’t it?”

Akechi chuckled darkly and turned around once more to leave. Akira frowned; he wondered what kind of expression the detective was hiding. “I suppose you’re right,” Akechi said. 

Before Akechi could answer though, Morgana hopped back up the stairs and cocked his head at the two of them. “Don't you dare start Akira on your weird sleep schedule,” he chose to say as he walked past Akechi to shoot a warning glare at Akira. It was not because of the sleep.

Akechi shook his head. “I wouldn’t wish that on him.”

“Goodnight, Goro,” Akira said, smiling to himself when the other boy stiffened at the name a second time.

“...Goodnight, Akira,” Akechi said. He politely nodded to Morgana and took exactly one step down before adding, “And by the way...”

He craned his neck, making one last glance at the other boy. He was wearing a new smile - one Akira had never seen before. Thin and wide and unabashedly callous. 

“...I think I rather enjoy this game.”


End file.
